Beach view
Colourful boats below the walls.
Shahadusadik — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gideon Fiadowu Norkplim — CC BY 4.0 · Shahadusadik — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Noahalorwu — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Noahalorwu — CC BY-SA 4.0
Fort Amsterdam is an old fort in the town of Abandze in Ghana's Central Region, overlooking a beach and colourful fishing boats. It is among the forts and castles of Ghana on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979, for its place in the history of European influence and the Atlantic slave trade. The English built it between 1638 and 1645 as Fort Cormantin, and the Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter captured it in 1665, after which it was part of the Dutch Gold Coast until it passed to the British in 1868. In 1811 people of Anomabo attacked it and left it in ruins, and it stayed unoccupied until the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board restored it in 1951. The present town grew up around it. The fort has a rectangular outline with two square and two round bastions at the corners, linked by curtain walls around a central courtyard. The hollow southeast bastion was used as a slave prison, believed to be the first of its kind on the Gold Coast. Today you see rough stone walls with gun openings, and from the top a wide view of the sea and fishing boats. The fort lies about 19.6 km from Cape Coast and 110.2 km from Accra in a straight line. It is a place of remembrance for great suffering, so treat it with respect. The ground is uneven and the walls lack barriers in places, so wear sturdy shoes and keep children close. Ask for a local guide to explain its history.
Colourful boats below the walls.
Two square and two round.
Rough stone and old gun openings.
Abandze, Central Region, Ghana
For its witness to European influence in West Africa and the Atlantic slave trade.
Yes, it is about 19.6 km away in a straight line and fits a half-day trip.